Jim Kowalski, who built the upscale Kowalski's Markets from a single store on St. Paul's Grand Avenue, died Thursday in an accident aboard a private plane in Canada, company officials confirmed.

"It was not a crash," family spokeswoman Deb Kowalski said, "and we don't exactly know how it happened."

She said Kowalski, 67, was on a fishing trip with a fellow pilot in Ontario province when the accident occurred while the plane was still on the ground.

She said the friend "heard a noise, and he was gone."

In 1983, Kowalski was working for Red Owl when he and his wife, Mary Anne, bought what had been an underperforming Red Owl store on Grand Avenue.

With an entrepreneurial flair and an embrace of finer products -- particularly local ones -- the couple made the venture a success. Kowalski's Markets eventually expanded to eight more locations across the Twin Cities.

Those who admired the Kowalski legacy were shocked by the news of Kowalski's death. They cited his early embrace of locally grown and healthier offerings, along with a deep community involvement.

"We are in a state of shock and sadness," said Tres Lund, CEO of Lunds and Byerly's, a rival of Kowalski's. "Jim was a great businessman and merchant, and he is going to be deeply missed by everyone who was fortunate to know him."

Sean Kershaw, executive director of the Citizens League of Minnesota, called Kowalski's "a phenomenal organization.

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" Kershaw said he greatly admired the company's commitment to the community.

"I've never seen a company like it, truly never," Kershaw said. "Their success and their community leadership was really tied to the role (advocated by) Jim and Mary Anne, and now others."

Matt Kramer, CEO of the St. Paul Area Chamber of Commerce, cited Kowalski's early advocacy for local products and healthier foods.

"Despite a relatively small footprint, Kowalski's offered consumers choices, particularly local ones, in a format that was warm and friendly," Kramer said. "His engagement with the community brought to mind a rural grocery in the heart of a small town.

"That this format worked in the heart of a large urban area is a testament to his leadership and his passion for the industry."

Don Seaquist, president of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1189, said the husband-wife team were successful because "they liked food; they knew their customers; they took good care of them."

"It's a good model," he said.

Twenty years after it began, the company continues to be family-owned and family operated, with new generations taking the helm.

The Kowalskis' passion brought them a raft of awards, including several as employer of the year. In 2011, Jim and Mary Anne Kowalski were honored as the nation's outstanding independent community-based retailer by Progressive Grocer.

Frederick Melo and Tad Vezner contributed to this article. Tom Webb can be reached at 651-228-5428. Follow him at twitter.com/TomWebbMN.